Discussion: NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) started yesterday. For anyone unfamiliar, it's an annual writing challenge. From now until November 30th, writers all around the world will be working toward the goal of 50,000 words.

I participated last year and, while the resulting draft will never see the light of day, I made the 50k quota. More importantly, I gained an even greater appreciation for anyone who can finish writing a whole book. And those who make it through the whole publishing process? Even more so.

I know bloggers who torture themselves enjoy the challenge every year, and I know others who are strictly readers or who just don't have the time to write 1,667 words each day in November. (Seriously, whose bright idea was it to put this thing smack in the middle of the holiday season?)
I readily acknowledge the masochism of this plan, but I'd like to try a NaNoWriMo-like project again, preferably with better planning and a full outline this time. (I do not do well as a pantser, especially when my primary concern is the word count, not the story.) But this November is a no-go between LSAT studying, catching up on my Goodreads challenge and life in general. On the bright side, I finally found a site that seems to have similar stats/deadlines to NaNoWriMo's system, which I liked. I haven't fully tried it out since I don't have any current projects, but if anyone's interested, it's called myWriteClub.

What about you guys? Are you a writer (outside blogging), a reader, or a little of both? Is NaNoWriMo something you'd be interested in trying or doing again? Maybe during a different month when there's less going on?

8 comments
:

I'm totally a writer as well as a reader, but NaNoWriMo has never appealed to me. It sounds anxiety-inducing (and heaven knows I have enough of that in my life) and not necessarily a good exercise for the creative side of my brain.

It is very anxiety-inducing. And if you skip a day... let's just say you never skip a day. The daily deadlines were rough, but also a good way to get into a disciplined daily routine. But it was rough. :)

I'm doing NaNo this year again. I enjoy it because I have to use a disciplined writing regimen otherwise I would never finish anything. I do deadlines for myself all the time, so NaNo isn't really all that strange for me anyway. I just enjoy having an excuse ;)

I'm a writer as well as a reader and blogger, too. Right now I'm content with the writing schedule I have. I clear out my weekends and days off from work (whenever possible) to work on my YA fantasy WIP. NaNoWriMo doesn't really interest me, though. It's hard to fit in the time when you work full-time and have other offline commitments, especially with the upcoming holidays. The only way I could do NaNo would be to sacrifice sleep - and I don't function well when sleep deprived. *lol*

I do applaud anyone who tries and succeeds at NaNoWrimo. It's a massive commitment, and writers who give it a shot deserve nothing but huge hugs and cheers for it. :)

I still slept during NaNo last year (and not during work surprisingly), but I had to cut out just about everything else- reading, socializing, etc. I think having a writing schedule that works for you, especially one you can maintain year round, is probably better in the long run (and healthier).